You have to admire the ecumenism of European car press launches. Last week we found ourselves testing a new German car in Spain at a racetrack owned by a Dutchman who named his circuit after Italian racing hero Alberto Ascari. Two days later, a German pope was elected. This is not the old Europe of Franco's day.

BMW brought the 6 Series back in 2004, after a 15-year hiatus, with V-8 power and snarky coupe styling, and now they've turned it over to their M department for further tuning. And tune it they did.

The centerpiece of the new version is a high-revving alloy 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V-10 that cranks out 507 bhp at 7750 rpm and redlines at 8250. Torque output is 383 lb.-ft. at 6100 rpm. It's a beautiful thing to see on the engine stand, with polished stainless-steel exhaust headers that look like two bundles of well-fed snakes.

This engine is mated to a 7-speed close-ratio sequential gearbox that can be operated both by steering-wheel paddles and a "normal" shift lever, which also has a fully automatic gate. The transmission can be programmed (using your handy iDrive) to 11 modes of aggressiveness. It also has a hill-sensing function that prevents "hunting" on uphill drives and upshifting on descent.

There's also a "launch control" mode for flat-out standing starts and a button that switches from the full 507 bhp to a mere 400 bhp, for more docile acceleration in traffic.

Visually, the M6 differs from its 645Ci sibling with a larger front air dam and brake-cooling scoops, aggressively contoured side-sills and a rear diffuser that sprouts two pairs of chromed tailpipes. Other clues are M6 badges in the side gills and those 19-in. wheels. Unseen is a carbon-fiber roof panel for lower center of gravity and weight.

Start it up and that V-10 revs with a turbine-like growl quite unlike anything else. Clutch engagement with the SMG paddle shifters is smooth and fluid. The close-ratio 7-speed gearbox moves seamlessly through gearchanges at lightning speed, and downshift blips are an auditory treat, accompanied by an instantaneous "Wow!" from the engine. No human has ever shifted this fast, or this smoothly. Especially not this human.

Brakes do exactly what brakes should, which is be powerful and linear. Ride is superb and well-damped on the road and not abusively stiff, even on the Sport setting. Cornering is dead flat, and at public road speeds the grip level is so high it's almost pointless to comment on handling balance. The car just grips the road and goes.

And, boy, does it go. The V-10 makes power everywhere, whoops and revs with turbine smoothness and shoots the car down a passing lane with effortless thrust. It has decent torque on the bottom, but above 2000 rpm it simply enters another dimension of propulsion, right up to its shrieking 8250-rpm redline. It's a fantastic engine and sounds like a Formula 1 car with mufflers.

On the track, the M6 simply gets better, because you can use more of it. The car offers such a high level of braking performance, grip and speed, it takes a lot of laps before you can even begin to tax the M6's limits. With the DSC off, it becomes more fun, simply because you can finally throw the car sideways and force it to get a little out of shape. With DSC on, it simply laps like an electron following a wire.

This is a true driver's car — one of the most exhilarating ever — and it can be endlessly tailored to the driver's dynamic needs, provided you spend a day with the manual. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing the car in the U.S. until ?May 2006, though the 4-door M5 version (same drivetrain) will get here this September. Price is not yet finalized, and a 6-speed manual trans-mission option is said to be in the works for the U.S. market.?